When British rock trio Band of Skulls learned their song "Friends" would be featured in New Moon, the sequel to Twilight, they were shocked. Not because the movie's music supervisors liked it, but rather that they'd heard it at all. "We didn't know we'd sent it out," says singer-guitarist Russell Marsden, with a laugh.

Despite releasing their first single, "Too Young to Love," just a year ago, British noise-pop duo the Big Pink already boast a career's worth of triumphs: winning NME's Philip Hall Radar Award for emerging talent, touring with TV on the Radio, and, best of all -- per multi-instrumentalist Milo Cordell -- sharing quality time naked, bound, and abused.

Many bands endure the galling process of getting grades from critics (A for "next Radiohead," D for "next Nickelback, if they practice harder"). Wye Oak is one of the few to be graded by actual professors.

Chefs, vintners, and Impressionists may consider success in France the only kind worth having. Rock bands, not so much. But even as teenagers jamming in the basement of singer Thomas Mars' house, Phoenix set their sights on les États-Unis.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahh!